Legislative staffer fired after Twitter tangle

Republican Minnesota Senate employee Bob Koss was fired Friday after he took to social media Thursday night to hurl invectives at outgoing GOP state Rep. John Kriesel.

Koss is no longer a Senate employee, Senate spokesman Steve Sviggum said Friday.

Here are excerpts from the exchanges, as they unfolded (the acronyms and typos are as posted):

Bob Koss: Just saw the @johnkriesel gay marriage ad. Really glad the RINO [Republican in name only] will be leaving the legislature. #mnleg & good riddance. [Kriesel opposes the marriage amendment, which would define marriage as one man, one woman and constitutionally ban same-sex marriage.]

John Kriesel: Thanks douchebag. [Kriesel later removed this tweet.]

BobKoss: @johnkriesel Wow, so the piece of [expletive] representative confirmed by long standing belief. #mnleg

John Kriesel: @BobKoss you can dish it out but you can't take it. Hahaha!

BobKoss: @johnkriesel Go ahead and play your veterans card to shreds as you've done. You're a self serving SOB and I pity you. [Kriesel is a veteran who lost his legs in Iraq.]

John Kriesel: @BobKoss who's office are you borrowing in that picture? Why are you pretending to be important? [The photo on Koss' Twitter page showed a man seated behind a large Senate desk.]